Is The Shadow of Minamata in Southgobi?

The infant mortality rate is surprisingly high in Umnugovi aimag which stands first in the country. According to the doctors, 5 in 10 births are premature or the fetus dies at the period of 5 or 6 months. But in the past few years the increasing number of abnormal birth of fetus shocked the Umnugovi aimag people.

This is a real disaster and fear, and the government and relevant authorities should know that the southern part of Mongolia is a safe place to live in the future or not. It seems so strange that Ministry of health and State Professional Inspection Agency still haven’t respond to any of the letters sent by the aimag’s Central hospital and aimag’s Professional Inspection Agency. Why are they no t taking any measurements?

Why the authorities didn’t reply to their request of 「what are the causes? The causes of this high number of abnormal births of fetus need to be studied carefully and urgently」 Are these people are hiding the real situation of Umnugovi aimag from the people of Mongolia, or it is because this country is led by so dumb leaders? Are these people only interested in their personal interests or politics?

Calculating nonstop how much they can earn from gold, coal and copper in the Southern region, they totally forgot that people live in that region. Umnugovi is the future of Mongolia.

This place can give billions of dollars to its country and people. However, these officials and authorities say that every Mongolian citizen will benefit from it and but they never mentioned about improving the people’s lives, health, safety, living conditions and environment of the region. Why?

People who were elected by the people in that region to take seat in the parliament don’t seem to be worried very much or have willingness to fight against it. This issue is not under consideration with the reason that people believe such a thing doesn’t happened often, it is just an accident or it is the consequences of smoking and using alcohol or incest in the region.

I just want to tell the chairman what I heard from the people of Umnugovi aimag, these people said indigently that State Professional Inspection Agency responded to aimag’s Professional Inspection Agency that 「It is health sector’s job, not ours so just leave it」. It is unbelievable. Did the Chairman really say that it is not Professional Inspection Agency’s duty? There is still no response to the test result on abnormal birth of fetus from the Maternity and Infant mortality research center and Ministry of health. Perhaps they push it from themselves since they think it is not their job to do. But State Professional Inspection Agency blamed officials from health Ministry for the high rate of maternal mortality and put pressure on local doctors.

I don’t see these hospital workers or physicians guilty because I was there on the spot and heard the real story with my two ears. Can you believe that there is no single incubator in the whole region where miscarriage percentage is very high in the country? How long will these people in this region wait Lambaa. C, the health minister to provide the hospitals with necessary equipments to carry out analysis and do tests. First time Enkhbayar. J mentioned about abnormal birth of fetus to the press, unfortunately nobody wanted to hear him and raise an issue on it. As he said, it seems so scary that the situation in that region might have effects on the national security. Disease of Minamata might have occurred in Mongolia. During the last decade Mongolians were obsessed with money and ready to give their lives for gold. The number of destroyed lands, dried rivers and stream became out of control.

The society has new class called ninja (manual gold miners) the lands poisoned with mercury and cyannide seem to be everywhere. It is meaningless to talk about healthy Mongolian person.

What happened in Minamata?

In 1934, people from Minamata city in Kumamato region , Japan were so excited. They were excited because 「Chisso」 chemical factory, the largest in Japan opened in the city, allowing one person from each family to work in the factory and it had an advantage of increasing the city budget.

Japanese people particularly attitudes of Minamata’s people had changed and started to walk with their nose up as same as in Mongolia today, everybody is going crazy after Oyutolgoi and Tavantolgoi. But few years later, disaster struck Minamata’s people. Suddenly cats and dogs died after strange twitchy movements and number of newborn without eyes, hands, and inner organs had increased. At that time explanations were given by the authorities were exactly the same as what Mongolians explain the situation in Umnugovi aimag.

They announced that 「it is connected with incest among Minamato’s people」 to the press. But the disease had been spreading across the region and in 1950 when the causes of the disease were found it was too late. Such thing happened because Minamata people’s pride Chisso dumped 27 tons of waste poisoned with mercury and cyanide to the sea. This is how the term 「Minamata disease」 was first introduced which killed hundreds of people.

The death of poisoned people continued for 30 years. People across the world still not forget and preventing from it, as of today, 3000 victims are being under treatment by the government, ministry of health and ministry of environment in Japan. Chisso Company will never close down. Because the government gives loan to it when it is about to collapse and its income spends on recovering the loss of those people with Minamata disease.

Minamata disease is a real example for human showing what we might face if we treat the environment improperly, poising the environment with chemicals and heavy metals and being obsessed with money.

3 abnormal births of newborns in 2006, 5 in 2007, 7 in 2008 and 8 in first four months of 2009 were recorded in Umnugovi aimag Answering the question of what are the causes of abnormal birth.

「We are really concerned about increasing number of abnormal newborns each year. We must find out the causes but there is still no response from the Study center. Manual gold mining operations has been increasing and unlimited use of mercury and cyanide」 has become normal but we can’t directly say that it is the consequences of contamination of mercury and cyanide.」

said Buyanmunkh. B, Aimag Professional Inspection Agency Chairman.

Teratic study of 4 year on the record of infant and maternity mortality and medical record of newborns was developed. According to the study, until 2005 there was no specific registration for infant mortality in Umnugovi aimag. From 2006, the central hospital has been registering the details. 3 abnormal births in 2006, 5 in 2007, 7 in 2008 and 8 in first four months of 2009 were recorded in Umnugobi aimag.

Among them disorders like babies with stomach flew through the navel, without bile, without heart problem, hearts outside of the body, without ear hole, eyes are too far from each other were dominated Now let’s find out what the regional doctors think about abnormal infant birth has been going up in the past two years.

S.Tuyatsetseg /head of the province social health service/:

Parents whose children are abnormal were mostly extracting gold manually and living near the water which was used for washing the mercury and cyanide is getting attention

2 or 3 abnormal fetuses were born annually in this province until 2005.Before this, common defects such as cleft palate/palatoschisis/, chiloschisis, congenital heart defect /atelocardia/ were faced.

Between 2007-2008, newborn babies with defects that was never occurred before has been increased rapidly. We put a question about it to minister and Ministry of Health but there is no answer.

In the beginning of 2009, 8 newborn babies were registered. 4 babies without kidney, brain, fingers of hand and foot, and baby whose eyes were too far from each other, 2 babies without palates and 2 babies whose ventral wall was not developed and stomach was outside their body, were recorded. May be you think that it is connected with increase in illegal extraction of gold. Even though Professional Inspection Agency of the region worked against it and stopped the cases of manual extraction of gold, the illegal extractions have been occurred once in a while. 70 percents of the area in our province poisoned from mercury and cyanide.

The work of inhuming the poisoned earth and water were done throughout the province. We analysed the parents whose children were abnormal, most of them extracted gold manually and lived near water which was used to wash mercury and cyanide which is being paid an attention. Moreover, babies with defects were born from the parents who worked in gas station and job related to the chemical hue.

D.Enkhmandakh /head of the aimag hospital/

Abnormal birth has increased not only in our province but also nationwide

However we informed it to the ministry and put a question about the situation of the aimag hospital repeatedly, there is still no decision. The last time we introduced the situation when B.Dolgor, head of administrative office, arrived. We carried out the survey by the order of the Ministry of Health. There are numbers of miscarriages in the aimag. The people who make decision are still quiet.

Numbers of the doctors are not sufficient; one surgeon and one anesthetic doctor/50』000 people live in this aimag/ in the aimag. But there is no neonatal doctor. We want to tell the officials at the ministries to direct their policies to the countryside through press.Abnormal birth has increased not only in our province but also nationwide. It might be consequence of increase in incest and people who mine the gold with their hands. We are waiting for the legal decision.

M.Bumantsetseg /executive head of polyclinic and treatment/

Abnormal birth is tend to be common in soums(small towns) where the gold mining is operated

The types of defects have increased by the beginning of 2009. It is clear that babies with defects were born more and more in the places with gold such as Tsogt-Ovoo, Gurvantes, Khanbogd, and Mandal. Neonatal mortality has been increased so rapidly.

Even if we did as much as we can, cases like babies have not much strength to survive are keep occurring. So in my view, such things are happening as a result of loss in state policy sustainability, 「healthy baby from healthy mother」. The fetuses are born when they were 7 or 8 months. Because of the mother’s high pressure and chronic diseases, babies with pero-organism are being born. Almost all children are miscarriage.

D.Davaasambuu /executive head of polyclinic and economy at the Central hospital/

The ministry of the health should pay a special attention on Umnugobi province -8 defect deliveries were registered. Of course there are many causes and reasons. The chronic poison of mercury will appear at least 10 or 20 years later. The rate of diseases in Umnugobi province is much higher nationwide. There are many places where Chinese companies used to mine gold long time ago. Who knows that the above mentioned places were poisoned with what kinds of toxics? The ministry of the health should pay a special attention on Umnugobi province.

Russian military had stayed there for many years. We do not know that what kind of chemical substance they kept and what they did there. Finally, we need the good facilities and equipments in order to deliver healthy children. Let’s diagnose fetus when they are in mother’s womb. And let’s stop the defect birth if they are really defecting.

We do not have budget and finance. At the end of our tether, we have asked a help from all companies in the town. Why do not they give at least 2 incubators to the province? Why does not Mortality and Infant study centre find the reason of the mortality?

The professional group which has to find the main reason of inherited diseases does not their fulfill the basic duty. They need to make a conclusion of it.

They say main symptom of Minamata disease is hand and foot will become nervless, muscles will be weakened, a capability of hearing, looking and speaking will be lost and fetuses with defect will be born.

The sensation of Khongor is not eased off. At the end, who found that whether people of Khongor somu were poisoned or not. They want to cover it up with a word, “Politicisation”.

It is time to form a particular working group and make analysis immediately not only in Umnugobi but also in the places in which legal and illegal gold mining is developed such as Bayankhongor. Uvurkhangai, Tov, and Selenge. What would we do when it is too late if we do not do anything? Is mercury poisoning, 「Minamata disease」 arising in Mongolia? Are there any other places in our country where mercury and cyanide are not used?Poisoned water is spread everywhere. Nobody will doubt that Mongolia has become prone to more dangerous disease than Minamata quite long time ago where monitoring system is very weak and where politicians bear no responsibilities.

There is an ancient history of incestuous marriage. The doctors, specialists and local elders told that there is no evidence that abnormal birth likes babies without hand and foot or the stomach is outside the body even though mentally ill children were usually born in the family.

How come people put their nation and generation at risk in order to earn money? Actually, I do not understand that why the government make people who extract the gold by their hand to be immoderate. Is it enough that they are causing a potential threat in security of our nation? Is it right to pass a law which allowed them to organize illegal actions and start mafia?

The government should stop people who are lazy and want to make money in an easy way and carrying out harmful action to the lands and people through violence. Are 2000-3000 people’s interests better than 2 million people’s interests? They know this uncontrolled, disorganized and irresponsible situation will bring decline and disaster.

People still remember the sad history regarding gold miners along the Amazon River in Brazil, and also syndrome broke out in Chili and Prague and Minamata. In Mongolia, this situation is becoming popular. This great number of abnormal births might be proves of this fearing disease has occurred in Mongolia. Who will explain what is happening in Umnugobi and who is responsible for it? The environment and surrounding is also getting destroyed. We can say that disaster is happening there.